


Fireflies

by Stories_By_Bagels



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Father!Ryan, Gen, YoungDaughter!Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 11:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4834412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stories_By_Bagels/pseuds/Stories_By_Bagels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's that time of year again, summer. And summer always meant your birthday was here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireflies

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what to say as far as where I drew inspiration from...
> 
> Also, wrote this a good while before Ryan had announced Olivia's arrival.

The crickets and cicadas were beginning their evening chants as you sat in your small chair. Your dad had told you to go outside for a moment and said you could come back in when he came and got you. You were restless, constantly shifting in your chair continuously telling yourself to do as he said and stay outside.

“What is daddy even doing…? I could have just gone up to my room if he wanted me to go away so bad…”

You cross your arms in a pout but they become quickly uncrossed as small dots of light begin to flash and appear out of what seemed to be thin air. You quickly scramble out of your chair, running into the yard towards the small lights, never seeing something like this before.  
“Daddy come look at all the pretty lights!”

Your father doesn’t come immediately running and you let out a frustrated growl torn between breaking the promise and going and getting him or staying in the back. You hear the sliding door open your father stepping onto the wood of the smallish deck. You quickly run back over to him. He had a small smile on his face, his wispy brown hair blowing slightly from the light breeze that had picked up.

“What’s the matter? I heard you shouting.”

You quickly spin back around and point to all the floating lights. He looked out over the backyard that was pulsing from the lights. He gently placed a hand on the top of your head, ruffling your hair a bit.

“You want to try and catch a few?”

Your eyes light up, meeting his in excitement and he gives a chuckle.

“Alright, stay put a bit longer and let me go see if we have anything we can catch them with.”

You watch him go back into the house and as you wait, mind racing at the thought of being able to catch the small floating lights. He returns a moment later clutching a small mason jar, the lid with small holes in the top of it. You furrow your brow as you try and reach for the jar which he gently hands to you.

“Why are we poking holes in the jar daddy? Won’t that just let the lights escape!?”

Your father smiles and shakes his head, taking back the jar and walking out into the soft grass towards the floating lights, giving no explanation about the jar and why it was the way it was. He takes the lid off the jar and stills, scanning the air for one of the lights. When he spots one you watch one of his long arms swing in a fluid motion, quickly snatching one of the lights out of the air. He quickly puts the cap back on the jar and then walks back over to you, kneeling down to your level. You look into the jar, frowning, disappointment washing over you.

“Daddy that’s just a bug!”

Your father lets out another laugh, this one a bit louder than the other, amused by the simple innocence of your brain.

“Just wait a moment and it will become something much more than a simple bug.”

You stare into the jar, eyes locked on the black bug. You watch it lazily crawl about and then suddenly light up. You let out a little squeak in surprise at the sudden flash from the bug.  
“Wow daddy that’s super cool! I never knew bugs could do THAT!”

He smiles, “It’s only this particular bug that does it… It’s called a firefly. When I was about your age back when I lived in Georgia, these things would clump together in packs upward of 100. It was always a sight…”

He trailed off, losing his train of thought in the nostalgia of the past. You smile at him before looking back out into the yard, the bugs flashing on and off occasionally. You let out a yawn which seems to bring your father back to the present.

“Come on, let’s get inside and eat some dinner, we can catch some more afterwards.”

You give a small nod and follow him back into the house. On the small dinner table a box covered in striped white and blue wrapping paper laid flat, an envelope taped to the top of it.

“Daddy you got me a present!”

He smiles nudging you towards the warm kitchen.

“You can open it after dinner, right now go ahead and get yourself a drink.

He opens a drawer and pulls out some hot pads, opening the oven and pulling out a silver pan, a cheesy scent wafting into your nose.

“Did you make that really good mac and cheese again!?”

Your dad looks down at you and nods, smiling.

“I know how much you love it…”

You lick your lips in anticipation, walking further into the kitchen.

“Do you want me to set the table daddy?”

He looks down at you and shakes his head with a smile, “That’s alright; I’ll put it onto a plate and bring it to you.”

He reaches into one of the cabinets and pulls out your favorite cup that was covered in polka dots of all different colors. You take the cup and walk past him to the fridge, struggling a bit before pulling it open. You set the cup on the counter and grab the small pint of milk from the fridge. You pop off the lid and delicately pour the white liquid into the glass before resealing the bottle and putting it back in the still open fridge. You give it a light push and listen to it thump closed before walking back behind your father and setting the milk up on the table, climbing into your chair. A steaming plate is set in front of you and you feel drool beginning to form but you hold back until your father is sitting on the other side of the table. You quickly pick up your small fork and begin scooping the pasta into your mouth, tears forming in the corners of your eyes from the temperature.

“Is it good? I added some extra cheese…”

You nod, unable to speak. He smiles at you and shakes his head.

“You’re such a silly child…”

You finally swallow the large bite of food in your mouth and take a gulp of milk and giving him a grin.

“I know!”

You take another fork full of pasta, not learning your lesson from before, more tears forming from the heat.

~~

Dinner passes quickly and quietly. Your father picks up the empty plate from in front of you and walks into the kitchen, setting it down in the sink.

“So can I open my present now!?”

“Of course. Go right on ahead.”

You smile and pull off the envelope first. It was sealed with a small wax imprint that had a large bird in the center of it; it was your dad’s favorite seal, the one of the phoenix. You carefully pull up on the seal, the lip of the envelope opening. You pull out the card, the front displaying a lone purple flower in full bloom in the center of the card. You open it and immediately make out your father’s handwriting.

_To my lovely child,  
I cannot believe that it’s already your birthday again. Time is going by so fast and you’re growing at such a remarkable pace. Make sure you cherish every pleasant thing that comes your way and never allow negatives to get in the way of your life. I love you so much and never forget that._

_With love,  
Your father_

You peer into the envelope and see bills in it. You pull out the green rectangles and your father smiles at how excited your face becomes. You quickly pull the present in front of you and easily tear through the simple wrapping job. It was a picture within a sleek black frame. A man was holding a woman in his arms, his head resting on her left shoulder seeming to be whispering something into her ear, his mouth a sensitive smile. The woman’s mouth was open from laughing a moment before the photo was taken. The two looked perfect together giving off an aura of love through the photo.

“I- Is that mom?”

Your father smiles, nodding.

“I know how much you wanted to know what she looked like. This was one of the first photos we took as a couple. I figured you would enjoy having it…”

His voice trails off but you don’t notice as you look back out at the darkening backyard.  
“Hey daddy? Can we go back outside and catch some more bugs!?”

Your father looks over to the clock before returning his gaze back to you.

“I don’t know kid… It’s getting awful close to your bedtime…”

Your face drops in sadness before you feel a tight grip around you.

“I’m just kidding! I think it will be alright if you stay up for just a bit longer. Come on, let’s go!”

You relax and gently place the frame down on the table, your father scooping you up and carrying you outside under his strong arm, gently setting you on your feet on the deck. The Mason jar with the first firefly was still on the deck table, the bug still alive and blinking. Your father takes a hold of the jar and opens the lid, allowing the one to go free.

“Now that we have an empty jar, let’s see how many we can catch and keep!”

You follow him out into the grass and he hands you the jar. You scan the air for any of the blinking bugs but none appear. Your father could only watch before he notices small lights up in the air, greatly out of your reach.

“Quick… hand me the jar!”

You pass it to him and with his fluid motion he nabs them out of the air, screwing the lid back onto the jar. He does a few more sweeps of the lawn but doesn’t see any lights other than the ones in the jar.

“It seems like it got too late to catch them now… maybe it’s not warm enough? Whatever the case maybe, I think it’s time I get you off to bed. Can’t have you staying up TO late.”

You pout for a moment before a yawn causes your small body to begin to shake. Your father gives a small smile and scoops you up again so that your cradled in his arm, the jar tightly clutched to your chest. He walks inside, heading towards your small bedroom, gently setting you down on the bed. He takes the jar and sets it on the shelf on the other side of the room and leaves. You lazily change into your soft pajamas, climbing under the blankets, sitting up right. Your father soon returns with a small plate with something on top of it. You shimmy to the side as he sits on the edge of the bed, handing you the plate. He digs in his pocket for a moment before pulling something out. He flicks the back of the lighter a few times before a small flame lights up the space between the two of you. He moves the flame towards the candle that was protruding from the cupcake that was on the plate. You watch the flame jump onto the small wick of the candle and the flame on the lighter receding.

“Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday my dearest… happy birthday to you…”

You blow out the flame on the candle, the room going dark once more. Your father flicks on the small lamp that was beside your bed. He removes the candle from the cupcake and you immediately take a large bite from the cupcake, your mouth watering; it was your favorite kind and it seemed to have extra frosting on top of it.

“Did you make this daddy!?”

He nods, “I did… Do you like it?”

You nod, “Why wouldn’t I like it daddy!? Everything you make is great!”

Your father sheepishly smiles and looks down, “Yeah I guess your right…”

You tilt your head to the side a bit and extend your arms out to him, “Do you wanna bite?”  
He shakes his head, “I’m ok kiddo, you keep on eating…”

You twist your mouth to the side before tucking back into the cupcake, making quick work of it. He takes the empty plate from you, leaving the room for a brief moment and returning with the picture and envelope. He walks over to the dresser and stands the photo next to the jar before sitting back down on the edge of the bed next to you.

“Daddy…”

“Yes sweetheart?”

“I love you…”

Your father smiles, “I love you too…”

“I wish mamma were here to celebrate with us…”

His eyes quickly flit over to the picture, “Me too…”

You look up his silhouette, “Daddy…”

“y-yes dearest?”

“What happened to mommy?”

You hear your father swallow, “She uh- She… She loved you so much that she never made it out of the hospital…”

“Daddy… Do you miss mommy?”

Your simple questions hit deep in your father’s heart and you watch his head bob up and down.

“I miss her so much… But- That’s alright because I have you.”

You tilt your head to the side a bit as you watch your father’s large figure tremble, his breathing different than before. You sit back up in bed and move closer to him, wrapping your small arms around the side of him. He wraps an arm around the side of you, pressing you against him. He takes in a deep breath and you feel the shaking disappear.

“I think it’s time you get to sleep dearest… Happy birthday little one.”

He unwraps his arm and you move back under the covers and when you still he plants a kiss on your forehead.

“Good night daddy… I love you!”

He clicks off the lamp and then walks to the door, pausing and turning to face you.  
“Good night little one, I love you too.”

He walks out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Your eyes wander the room for a moment before they fall onto the dimly lit picture and the small jar on your shelf. You watch as three lights in the jar float around, flicking on and off in random intervals. Your eyelids become heavy and the lights in the jar begin to blur. Finally, you fall asleep to the sound of running water that was coming out of the kitchen sink a couple of rooms away where your father quietly scrubbed dishes, all his thoughts on you.


End file.
